There is not a universally agreed definition for what is a conspiracy theory.

A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable. The term has a negative connotation, implying that the appeal to a conspiracy is based on prejudice or insufficient evidence. A conspiracy theory is not simply a conspiracy; instead, it refers to a hypothesized conspiracy with specific characteristics, such as an opposition to the mainstream consensus among those people (such as scientists or historians) who are qualified to evaluate its accuracy. - Wikipedia, as of diff 1020000000

Examples

We describe several conspiracy theories, and note their salient characteristics.

The Death of John F. Kennedy

The "official" theory is that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in his assassination of John F. Kennedy. Unfortunately, Oswald was assassinated by Jack Ruby 3 days after the death of Kennedy.

There are any number of actors who may have benefited from the death of a US president, including Lyndon B. Johnson, "the Communists" (Soviets, Cubans, etc.), conservative radicals, etc.

What are the attributes of "conspiracy theories" here?

• They suppose that Oswald (and often Ruby) were part of a conspiracy.
• They rely on assumptions not supported by evidence in the historical record.
• Some theories are more "wild" than others: claims of a "second shooter" or that Oswald was not involved in the shooting at all are less based in fact (and in some sense, more of a conspiracy theory) than claims that Oswald had acted on behalf of some third party.
• Incompetence and malfeasance in the official investigation (the Warren Commission) is taken as evidence of a cover-up.

The Death of John McAfee

John McAfee, wealthy due to his role in establishing the McAfee Corporation (now a subsidiary of Intel), is a notorious scoundrel and agent provocateur. During the 2010s, he bragged about his attempts to copulate with a whale, his heavy drug use, and promised to "eat his dick" if Bitcoin did not continue its outrageous price increases. He was also under suspicion in rape and murder cases.

McAfee died in June 2021, a suicide by hanging, after his extradition from Spain to the United States (on tax evasion charges) was authorized. McAfee was 75, and plausibly suffering from the long-term effects of past heavy drug use.

Talking incessantly about your pending suicide and preemptively trying to blame your enemies should be taken as evidence that you are likely to commit suicide, not that you are unlikely to commit suicide.

In short, there is no reason to believe anyone other than John McAfee was responsible for the death of John McAfee.

Yet some conspiracy theorists, including "Intellectual Dark Web" celebrity Eric Weinstein, are jumping feet-first into conspiracy theories. He lumps the death in with all his other favorite conspiracy theories.

What are the attributes of "conspiracy theories" here?